Eco-friendly Home consutruction technology (focus on India)

[manju]

I am not sure if there is a thread dedicated to this topic on this forum. There are related forums like urban development, solar power etc which indirectly contribute to building green homes.

I have a selfish reason for starting this thread. I am going to start constructing a house in a hot and dry place in Southern India where temperatures go up to 45 C in summer. Based on little research I have done, environmentally friendly homes have some of theses characters (not necessarily in this order). Please note this in not an all inclusive list.
- Have least foot print on land
- use solar power generation
- recycle water when possible
- rain water harvesting
- use materials that have good insulation properties
- are light but strong (and made with environmentally friendly material and processes is also eco friendly)

Hopefully these and other features are much cheaper than conventional techniques.

[manju]

Hollow clay blocks gaining more space
http://www.hindu.com/pp/2008/05/03/stor ... 030400.htm

Clay Hollow Bricks Company Website
http://www.wienerberger.in/wall/product-features

Some photos using clay hollow bricks
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=clay+ ... 80&bih=925

Article on Clay Hollow bricks
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/ ... &AppName=1

Pros and Cons:
http://toostep.com/debate/concrete-holl ... ne-masonry
Cracks can be avoided if correct/appropriate binding cement is used.

[manju]

Cross Posted

Purti develops new solar water pump

NAGPUR: BJP national president Nitin Gadkari, who also heads the Purti group that owns several sugar factories in Vidarbha, said his company had developed a new agriculture pump that runs on solar power. For last few years he has also demonstrated use of solar fencing for protecting farms from attack of wild animals.

On display at SCZCC premises on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the conference by AgroVision, was a pump gushing out water. Gadkari claimed that engineers of his group had developed it by integrating electronics in a power pack to convert AC power to DC from the solar panels that harness sunlight to produce electricity.

"It's my mission to rescue Vidarbha farmers. So, I conceived this idea of a cheap solar pump. As compared to Rs7 lakh cost of the pump brought from the government agency MEDA, we are offering it at Rs5 lakh on no-profit-no-loss basis. Besides, Purti group will offer a subsidy of Rs1 lakh to needy farmers. After availing of the government subsidy and Purti's discount, many farmers will be able to afford the pump at a net cost of Rs2.5 lakh.

"This will solve the problem of load-shedding and high energy cost," said Gadkari. He also exhorted farmers to produce ethanol from husk, stalks and other bio-waste. Soon, we will have motorcycles run on ethanol. An Indian auto company has started exporting these bikes to Brazil. I am in talks with this automaker to introduce them here," said Gadkari. Use of ethanol will save country by cutting the huge crude oil import bill, he added.

Can these pumps be used in Homes to pump water from the sump to the overhead tank?

[shaardula]

IITM prefab construction.

The GFRG panels for the 'demo building' at IIT-M have come from the plant of FACT-RCF Building Products Ltd, Kochi, using reprocessed gypsum from FACT. The building has four units, making up a total built-up area of 1981 square feet - two flats with a carpet area of 269 square feet each, intended for the economically weaker section (EWS), and another two, with a carpet area of 497 square feet each, intended for the low-income group (LIG). The plans can be replicated horizontally (in plan) and vertically (in elevation) in mass housing projects. This demonstration building will also be used by another research group at IIT-Madras working on decentralized solar photovoltaic systems with Direct Current (DC) appliances, to demonstrate savings in electrical energy consumption.

Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director, IIT-M said:"The GFRG building, which is fit for occupation, showcases the efficacy of the rapid affordable construction technology developed at IIT-M, and is replicable for mass housing, vertically and horizontally. The use of prefabricated light-weight GFRG panels not only implies faster overall construction time but also a safer working environment. The cost of the construction, with all amenities, has been reduced to about Rs 1,250 per square foot." The panels are prefabricated and cut to desired sizes based on room dimensions with openings for doors and windows, thus making rapid construction possible.

A panel has two skins of 15 mm thickness that are interconnected at regular intervals (250 mm) with 20 mm thick ribs. The cavities formed by these interconnections can be used for several purposes - filling with concrete, and laying electrical conduits and plumbing pipes. Explaining the building concept, Devdas Menon and A Meher Prasad of civil engineering department, IIT-M said: "Filling the cavities with concrete increases the vertical load-carrying capacity almost tenfold, and inserting vertical steel bars in these cavities, contributes to their earthquake resistance.

[manju]

http://www.hindu.com/pp/2008/05/03/stor ... 030400.htm

Hollow clay blocks gaining more space
Karnataka will soon have hollow clay blocks and facing bricks rolled out from the Austrian brick magnet, Wienerberger Brick Industry’s local manufacturing plant. A look by RANJANI GOVIND
PHOTO: G.R.N. SOMASHEKHAR

LIGHT YET STRONG: Rudy van Reeth and Ingo Hofmaier of Wienerberger Brick Industry at a press conference in Bangalore. –
Hollow clay blocks are earthy, season sensible, practical to work with and bring down your construction cost by more than 15 per cent, said architect Krishna Rao Jaisim (of Jaisim Fountainhead and Chairman, Indian Institute of Architects, Karnataka Chapter), special guest at Wienerberger Brick Industry’s official function that announced the launch of its Indian manufacturing plant at Kunigal near Bangalore. “I wish people cleared their mental blocks and gave cl ay blocks their deserved space in homes,” was Jaisim’s earnest exhort.
Wienerberger Brick Industry (a subsidiary of Vienna-based Wienerberger), in its first Asian plant in Karnataka, will have an annual output of one lakh tonnes to begin with and is expected to be operational by the year-end. The company is the world’s largest producer of clay hollow blocks and has the second largest market for clay roof tiles in Europe.

The Austrian brick manufacturer’s foray into the Indian market, with an investment of Rs. 90 crore for its 30-acre Kunigal plant, will see the launch of four brands – Porotherm (hollow clay blocks); an exclusive range of Terca facing bricks; and Koramic clay roof tiles and Argeton façade tiles that would be brought over from Wienerberger’s plants in Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Clay days ahead
Ingo Hofmaier, Managing Director, Commercial, Wienerberger Brick Industry, said, “The demand for eco-friendly building materials is on the rise globally. India, the birthplace of clay brick architecture, still yearns to go back to the clay days. Since we have the technology that would render the material in one of the finest forms to suit contemporary thinking, building with the green substance would lend an up-to-date perspective too.”

Rudy van Reeth, Managing Director, Technical, Wienerberger Brick Industry, said, “We are working closely with architects and are keen to introduce the state-of-the-art product in Indian constructions. Our load-bearing clay hollow block forms a new concept which beats the heat due to its high thermal insulation properties.”

The thermal insulation is twice as good compared to concrete blocks, and the blocks are half the weight of their concrete counterpart, says Hofmaier. “Let alone the architect, even the mason is going to find it a joy to work with the hollow clay block as the product is perfect for construction, given the fact that it is machine made and wire cut,” he says, adding that it is expertise that lends a dimensional stability for laying them perfect on the wall.

While a concrete block weighs 30 kg, a Porotherm clay block is only 11 kg, making it a light weight for a non-load bearing wall. It is available in three sizes. Wienerberger’s vertical and heavy load bearing blocks have better insulation properties with grip holes, making it easier for masons to handle them. The company claims the blocks will have three kinds of clay from Tumkur district mixed with the perfect blend of sand and silt.

And how environment sensitive is Wienerberger? “We are tackling the clay tanks where de-silting is a must but aren’t going anywhere near agricultural land,” assures Hofmaier. Says Jaisim, “Lake bed clay would be a better bet as it would take care of sedimentation-clearing too. This would save the top soil from getting eroded. This is where hollow clay blocks score over hard bricks.”

Wienerberger awards
Extending its role from manufacturing construction products in clay bricks and roof tiles, the company institutes “Brick Awards” to the most creative brick structures around the world once in two years. “In this way, the world’s largest producer of bricks acknowledges the undisputed role of bricks as a sustainable and ecological building material,” says Hofmaier. For the first time, Wienerberger’s Brick Award 2008 had an Indian delegation attending the ceremony at Vienna this year, underlining the increasing importance of contemporary Indian architecture and the rapid movement in construction practices here.

Wienerberger has also released its illustrated architecture book ‘brick 08’ featuring 35 exceptional brick buildings from across the world. The Indian contribution has Architect Anand Prakash essaying the contemporary Indian brick architecture scene that takes you across some of our exceptional advances in grandiose brick use.

* A Porotherm clay block weighs only 11 kg, making it a

  light weight for a non-load bearing wall.

* The thermal insulation is twice as good compared to

  concrete blocks.

* Vertical and heavy load-bearing blocks have grip holes,

  making it easier for masons to handle them.

* Hollow clay blocks bring down construction cost by

  more than 15 per cent.

[manju]

am constructing house in desh and my place has plenty of sun light available through out the year.

Currently, I definitely plan on a solar heater.

Is there scope for more- to use solar power for a house? Any links appreciated. I am looking at technology that has been tested and is in the market and is ready to be used off the shelf.

[Vriksh]

I have a different take on eco-friendly. According to me all constructions should be made out of recyclable materials chiefly

1) Metals (Steel, Aluminium etc)
2) Glass
3) Wood

It is definitely less eco-friendly to make these materials however once made they could be reused over and over with the addition of energy. The problem with things like concrete, brick and ceramics though cheap and strong are not recyclable.

[brihaspati]

Have you considered solar-powered water purification and pumps?

[Abhaey]

Does anyone know of any Indian companies that design and manufacture any out-of-the-box real estate and infrastructure technologies and solutions: whether road-laying using recycled plastic/rubber waster, sustainable power generation, water-table friendly outdoor ground/paving/flooring solutions, air/water purification systems, traffic monitoring systems, etc - anything that is exceptional, and made in India ?

Secondly - does anyone know of a source of very high quality double/triple glazed glass and frame manufacturers in India for large buildings - these are usually imported but I am keen to know if there is an Indian high quality solution ?

Many thanks.

[Lilo]

^^
Tata group was working on such stuff , their inhouse developed affordable water purifying solution (Swach line) took off well and is seen often in urban and semiurban areas.
http://www.tataswach.com

Don't know the current status of their prefab affordable housing soln announced in 2011.
http://www.thehindu.com/business/compan ... 230252.ece
http://www.tatabluescopesteel.com/Busin ... fault.aspx

Re:Triple glazed glass I think with India's hot climate there is little need for such heat conserving glass(and the attendant green house effect) in buildings - unless its for that "modern" aesthetics
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/r ... p9cYJC6YiE 2012 article

Compare above with below article going gaga over glass back in 2009, which also has a manufactures list.
http://nbmcw.com/articles/glass/4200-tr ... india.html

[Abhaey]

^^
Tata group was working on such stuff , their inhouse developed affordable water purifying solution (Swach line) took off well and is seen often in urban and semiurban areas.
http://www.tataswach.com

Don't know the current status of their prefab affordable housing soln announced in 2011.
http://www.thehindu.com/business/compan ... 230252.ece
http://www.tatabluescopesteel.com/Busin ... fault.aspx

Re:Triple glazed glass I think with India's hot climate there is little need for such heat conserving glass(and the attendant green house effect) in buildings - unless its for that "modern" aesthetics
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/r ... p9cYJC6YiE 2012 article

Compare above with below article going gaga over glass back in 2009, which also has a manufactures list.
http://nbmcw.com/articles/glass/4200-tr ... india.html

Thank you so much - very kind of you to help.

[Lilo]

^ Please to not mention Abhaey ji, glad to help.

[manju]

I have borewell in my compund (house in dry part of N karnataka). I am planning to also have ground water recharging system. I am getting conflicting information whether to have this recharging system around the bore well pipe or near by..

I found some links about ground water recharing near the bore well pit.
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPkEydAsjFc
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFU5pmYCESg
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dP9oNVLAyA watch aftrer 1 mts
4. http://www.rainyfilters.com/borewell-recharging.html

Not much info found about the negatives.....

Any info appreciated..